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My Kind of Town Don Chapman |
Famous last words
>> Above Kahuku
Tex and the Chef stopped their ATVs at the edge of the small clearing in the 'ohia forest, idled the engines, released the safeties on their Uzis, exchanged a few words as Clive the Aussie waved from near where the bodies of Primitivo and Fariq the Saudi lay dead on the ground.
"The two girls gotta be up there, toward that rock," the Chef said. At least, that was the area where the GPS signal from Primitivo's quarry had last been detected. The Manilla street girl's signal had also disappeared in this area.
"That's what I'm thinkin'. First things first, I'll cover while you and Clive load up the Saudi. Primitivo stays here. And the girl."
"Clive and his boy?"
"Same. They'll all be found. That's who the cops are looking for."
Thirty-five yards up the slope, having pried the electronic dog collar off Shauny Nakamura, Sen. Donovan Matsuda-Yee-Dela Cruz-Bishop-Kamaka peered from the shadows behind the rock outcropping. Shauny peeked over his shoulder, keeping Imelda back so she couldn't see their friend Royce in the clear bodybag. Below, they watched two men dismount their ATVs. While one of the men and the one who had been waiting loaded the body of the Saudi into a bag, the third guy crouched behind his machine, aimed an automatic rifle up toward them.
"It's like he knows we're here," Shauny whispered.
"He does. Those collars you guys were wearing have GPS."
As the body was loaded onto the back of the ATVs, Shauny gasped softly. "That's Steven! The one who rescued us and then got shot! He's OK!" She started to stand up and wave and call his name, but the senator grabbed her and clamped a hand over her mouth. "We don't know what's going on here! Wait!"
When the Saudi had been loaded, Steven turned his gun on the one who had been helping him.
"What are you doing?" the Aussie said.
"A message from Nakajima. You and Primitivo, you guys screwed this up for everybody. You wanted to bring your own kills instead of relying on us, and you were sloppy. The cops are looking for you and Primitivo and those kids. So this is the last time you'll hunt with this club."
"But ..."
Famous last words. The Chef, aka Steven, put a bullet through his head. Fifty yards above from where Shauny and the senator watched, Lono Oka'aina whispered into his cell, describing what he saw: "You heard that, detective?" HPD Detective Sherlock Gomes said he did. "All the available officers on this side are involved in stopping the members before they get away. So you're on your own."
"They're coming this way ..."
Don Chapman is editor of MidWeek. His serialized novel runs daily in the Star-Bulletin. He can be e-mailed at dchapman@midweek.com